As the Gear Turns
by Sarge51
Summary: Ben Carmine finds himself in the depths of a Galaxy in paral, he will need to help the Great Commander Shepard save the galaxy. Ben/F, Shep/Ash, takes place in ME2...for now. I'm going to think of the fem for Carmine, not sure who will work for now. Please, help pick a lady for ben by going to my poll on my profile
1. Chapter 1

Darkness swept the world, and the Locust horde rose. E-day was fourteen years ago, and the COG still lost ground every day. Delta was on an Island south of Jacinto. There mission was to extract a scientist who had developed a contingency plan incase the locust won the battle. The name of the scientist was Jeremiah Reichstein, a dedicated physicist and mathematician.

Delta was currently consisted of Marcus Fenix, squad leader of Delta squad and Sergeant of the COG military forces. Dom Santiago, a strong fighter and a hard son of a bitch to take down, and finally, Benjamin Carmine, the newest addition to Delta.

The squad had been walking down a set of underground tunnels for an hour and had yet to find the scientist. The tunnels were dilapidated bunker halls, water and rats filled them, dead bodies of locust drones every couple of yards. The squad had checked several labs and were starting to loose their patience, when they came to a closed wooden door.

Carmine thought it was strange, a wooden door inside of a military bunker, but kept his mouth shut. They walked into the room beyond the door and were greeted by a large foyer, books lining the walls, and schematics spread on the tables all over the room. Carmine looked around and noticed that there three halls breaking off from this room. They were gonna have to split up if they wanted to keep searching.

Marcus raised his voice, " Alright, Dom will go down the left hallway. Carmine, you go down the right hall. I'll search the hall in front of us. Alright, lets find this scientist before our chopper decides to leave us behind." With Marcus's charge forward, we split up. I walked down a dimly lit hallway, red ornate wallpaper and wood trimming greeted him. He noticed that the door at the end of the hall was a large, metal door with a key card scanner, luckily though, it was already opened.

Carmine walked through the doorway and was greeted by a large room filled with banks of computers and control boards. Several monitors surrounded an observation window, a large control bank under the window. He crossed the room and peered into the room beyond the window. It was a large circular room with several rings along the outer edge, he noticed a man in the middle of the room. He looked in the room and noticed another metal door led to the circular room. Carmine ran and passed into the next room, he rushed to the downed mans side. He noticed an I.D. tag on the man's jacket, it read Jeremiah Reichstein.

" Hey Doc? Are you ok? Come on Sir, we need to go to the King Rav-agh!" Carmine looked down at his neck, a large syringe was stabbed into him. He watched, stunned, as a clear green liquid was pushed into his neck. He couldn't move, he was frozen in place.

" How do you like my paralyzing serum? I'm truly sorry for this boy, I just needed a live test subject for my final experiment." Reichstein stood onto his feet, he was tall for a scientist, easily six feet tall. He had thick grey hair, and a thin grey beard. His small glasses rested on the end of his nose. He wore a white button-up shirt, black dress pants that had seen better days, and a pair of black house shoes. His eyes were a bright blue, contrasting with the drab clothing.

He walked out of the room and sealed the door behind him, trapping Carmine inside. Carmine could only stare forward at the wall of the room. He couldn't move, anger flooded him, he had been beaten by a scientist! The idea of it made him feel weak.

" You see, I have been working for a long time." Jeremiah's voice came onto the speaker system in the room, the speakers were crackling his voice as he spoke. " I was tasked by the COG ten years ago to develop a contingency plan. A way out of this mess incase we failed to beat the Locust Horde. Are you familiar with mass acceleration boy? Well, my theory was that if I could accelerate someone's atoms enough, I could push them into another dimension, obviously a one way trip."

A loud hum filled the room, the air filling with electricity. Electricity bounced around the room, Carmine in it's center. The rings on the floor started to move, spinning around him. He felt the energy focus on him, gathering slowly.

" You see, I thought that it was impossible, till I discovered a compound. This compound made a person extremely conductive without taking harm. I injected you with that very compound, even now your body is flowing with electricity. Once this experiment is a success, I'll go down in history! Ha-ha-ha ! " The man was crazy! He had to be insane.

The rings were spinning wildly now, Carmine's mind was on fire. His head hurt with a fury, his body burning with pain. The electricity was burning across his skin, leaving vein-like scars on his skin. His body lifted into the air, his vision filled with light, and his body jerked violently. He fell to the ground unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for reviewing so quickly, I'll make the pairing Ben/Tali, if you have anything you might want to happen later just tell me. I'll try to work it in. I fixed some of the errors, I've been double spacing between sentences, let me know if I missed something.**

It was dark, Carmine couldn't open his eyes. He could here voices, strange voices. Some were human while others were a language he had never encountered before in his life. He feared Locust, but the voices were to smooth. He tried to move, but his arms wouldn't comply, nor would his legs. He felt useless.

He felt his helmet being lifted off of his head as he was laid out on a table of some sort. Light shined on his eye lids as they were pried open, a light being shined in his eye. He tried to close his eyes, or turn his head, resulting in the person jolting from him. He heard the strange voices again, a man in the background saying something. Carmine blacked out again as a wave of cool and warm spread through him.

**Mordin's POV**

Mordin watched as the man was carried in by a Turian and a Batarian. The man was easily two and a half meters tall, very strong looking. Mordin guessed the man was dead because of the smell of burning flesh that come from him. His weapons were strange, looked very primitive, looked very effective.

" Daniel, remove his helmet. We need to identify what species he is, and to determine if he is alive." Mordin said to his waiting assistant. Daniel nodded and slowly pulled off the large humanoids helmet, revealing the scarred face of a young man. A flurry of tribal tattoos covered the left side of his face, their purpose unknown. The man had scars on the right side of his face where ever the veins got close to the surface. They looked like electrical burns, they had fused his mouth shut.

" Hmm, very interesting." Mordin pulled out a scalpel and approached the body. " Human Male, roughly in his early twenties. His mouth has been sealed by being burned together. His hair is brown, hasn't shaved recently, thin brown beard. Eyes are sealed as well." Mordin took the scalpel and cut the eyelids open. Mordin jumped as he noticed the eyes of the man moving

" Quickly, get me some medi-gel, this man is still alive!" Mordin quickly applied the medi-gel and noticed the man go slack. He had fallen into unconsciousness. It was likely for the best, Mordin continued to cut open the mouth, allowing the man to breath more clearly.

" Dr. Solus, I'm going to go to search for more people that are infected with the plague." Daniel left the room, leaving Mordin to deal with the giant lying on his operating table.

His head was aching, his body sore, but he could move. He lifted his arm to his head to wipe the sweat from his brow. His helmet was missing, but he was alive at least. He sat up and opened his eyes, taking in the surroundings. It looked like a storage room filled with medical equipment. His body was sore, his skin felt like leather. He just sat on the table, he didn't know where he was, or if he was even still in the same dimension as before. Carmine looked at his feet resting on the ground, his armor was still blue, but it looked like he had just been set on fire, scorch marks covered his armor. He noticed his helmet laying on a table next to the back wall, so he got up and walked over to it.

Carmine knew it was fried before he even picked it up. The optics were cracked and one was actually busted out. He looked inside the helmet and sure enough, the liner was burnt and the electronics were fried. He placed the helmet on the table and picked up his lancer. His lancer had taken a beating, but it was still in operational condition, so he placed it on his back. He picked up the long shot rifle and looked through the scope, the rifle was fine, he placed it on is back as well. He picked up the ammunitions for his weapons on the table and placed them in respective pouches and webbings around his armor. He gripped the COG standard issue jungle knife and gave it a few practice swings before placing back on his shoulder.

He heard voices coming from the next room, he pulled the revolver he usually kept at his side from his thigh, and slowly approached the doorway. Leaning out he noticed, robots? Robots with guns were walking around guarding the area. He waited for a group to go by before he walked to the room across from him, barely being able to stand straight up and walk through the door.

He rushed into the room and hid behind the crates next to the door, peaking out to observe the what was in the room. He noticed a man in the middle of a group of creatures! But they weren't trying to kill him? In fact, it looked like they were friends, except for the frog like one. The man had short buzzed hair and gave off an aura of confidence. To his left was a tall, reptilian looking being, most likely male. He was shorter then him, but so were the rest of them. He was grey and looked kind of like a grasshopper. The frog man was talking fast, didn't understand him, but he talked like he was full on caffeine supplements. Finally was a woman, human, and very attractive. She had black hair and wore a very tight white outfit. Carmine was respectful though and turned his full attention back to the group as a whole.

He slowly walked out of cover with his revolver pointed at the group and slowly walked towards them. He stopped about five feet from them and raised his voice.

" Turn around slowly, and keep your hands where I can see them." Carmine ordered, his voice was deep and rough, not like his usual voice. The people turned around slowly and kept their hands from their weapons. The man in the middle decided to speak to him.

" Who are you? And can you please put the gun down, sir?" He seemed like a good guy, his eyes didn't lie at least. Carmine kept the gun up and stood firmly in place.

" Not until I get some answers." The man nodded and motioned for me to continue. " Where am I and why can't I understand those two next to you?" Carmine said as he pointed with his left hand to the two aliens. The man looked at him and got a serious look on his face. He put his hands down and crossed them.

" Your on Omega, a space station in the terminus systems. As to why you can't understand Professor Solus or Garrus? I'm guessing you lost your Omni-tool, here take these," The man threw him a chip on a wrist band and an earpiece. He placed the chip around his wrist and noticed a large orange array of panels cover his arm briefly before fading. He placed the earpiece and noticed he could understand the aliens.

" -ay, so would you please put that gun down?" The grasshopper asked. He nodded and put the pistol into he side holster. I looked down at them, raising an eyebrow. The man in the middle of the group nodded again.

" Hi, I'm Commander John Sheppard of the Normandy." He nodded at him and looked to the Grasshopper.

" Names Garrus Vakarian, I advise that you don't point that gun at me again." Carmine nodded again, looking towards the woman and waited patiently. She looked to Shepard an rolled her eyes.

" My name is Miranda Lawson of the Normandy." He nodded again and looked to the frog man, he nodded quickly and started to speak.

" Hello, name is Mordin Solus. I'm the one who helped you when you were brought here." He extended a hand, Carmine shook it.

" Alright, we told you, now you tell us, who are you?" asked Shepard. Carmine just stood there and nodded his head once.

" Alright, I'll give you that much. Private Benjamin Carmine, sir." Carmine saluted and straightened up. " I was hoping that you could explain how I -" the lights and air vents shut down, emergency power came back up, drowning the room in a red glow. He looked to the group for an answer.

" what's going on?" Carmine asked, the doctor looked to the rest of the group and started to look a little frantic.

" Vorcha have shut down environmental systems. Trying to kill everyone. Need to get power back on before district suffocates." said Mordin as he checked his Omni-tool. " Here, take plague cure. Also, bonus in good faith. Weapon from dead Blue suns mercs. May come in handy against Vorcha." He handed Shepard a large pistol. " One more thing. Daniel. One of my assistants. Went into Vorcha territory. Looking for victims. Hasn't come back."

" Alright, let's get to the environmental systems." Shepard said, turning to leave.

" Let me come with you, I can help you guys with these 'Vorcha', but can you at least tell me what they are? " said Carmine. He was wanting to get a look around anyways, besides, Shepard was probably his only way off of this station. Shepard looked thoughtful for a few moments. Carmine watched intently, hoping that the man would let him come along.

" Can you fight? Because I don't want you coming along and dieing, I've got enough blood on my hands." Shepard looked Ben straight in his eyes. Carmine nodded his head.

" Yes sir, I was trained by some of the best soldiers on my planet." Carmine stood tall and kept a straight face. Shepard nodded, and we headed out of the room. We were in what looked like a medical clinic. He noticed a lot of different species in the room, humans, People like Garrus, and something with four eyes that looked human.

" The Vorcha are a race of strange insect like beings, they only live about twenty years and they have faces only a mother could love. Alright, let's go get those controls back online." We rushed out of the door, heading to the environmental control district.

They had walked out of the clinic and straight into a massive group of enemies. Carmine had his Lancer out and ran to cover.

" Vorcha!" Shepard yelled whilst diving behind a crate. He held what looked like a sniper rifle in his hands, Garrus doing the same. Miranda had a machine pistol out and ready to fire. Carmine guessed that these were the Vorcha, besides the fact that Shepard had yelled it out. Carmine stood up and unleashed lancer fire at the Vorcha in front of him. The rounds unleashed from the Lancer tore through the bodies, shredding off limbs and decapitating Vorcha. The steel rounds of the lancer tore through the leather armors of the Vorcha troops, igniting the fuel tanks of flamethrower wielding Vorcha, causing them to explode and spread their contents onto their comrades.

Shepard couldn't believe it, that giants rifle was shredding the Vorcha, it was terrifying. Shepard leaned out to see what was ahead, when he spotted a large Krogan barreling towards Carmine.

" Carmine! Krogan coming your way!" Carmine looked straight ahead, noticing a very locust like lizard running towards him. He aimed his lancer at the Krogan, firing off the rest of his clip. The rounds only dented and chipped the armor, the ones that did make it through not having any affect, he wasn't going to be able to reload in time. Carmine flipped Lancer over so that the chainsaw was facing up, and revved it up. He charged at the Krogan with a loud yell, the two met in the middle of the room, and he jammed the saw into the gut of the Krogan. The chainsaw revved and screamed as Carmine yelled and pulled the chainsaw up through the Krogan, cutting the him in half, orange blood and ooze covering Carmine, orange blood pouring to the ground. The room was covered in the blood of the Vorcha and the Krogan, Carmine reloaded his Lancer without problem.

" What the hell was that? Think you can teach me? " Asked Garrus with a smirk on his face. Carmine turned to face them, blood and chunks of Krogan covering his body. He looked like he cut his way out of hell.

" Guess that answers the question of if you can fight or not, come on, we need to keep moving. " Shepard jogged ahead of the group, leading them through the doors.

Carmine had fallen to the back of the group, leaving the three ahead alone in silence. The walk to the control station was coming to a close. Carmine had been tearing through more Vorcha and Krogan. Miranda walked up next to Shepard.

" Shepard, we need to talk." She stated. Shepard gave her a look and returned his gaze forward.

" About what, exactly?" asked Shepard. He was getting used to having that giant Carmine around. The man grew on you.

" We need talk about the eight foot tall behemoth behind us that was sawing Krogans in half a few moments ago. You know when I report this to Cerberus, they'll want to study him." Miranda was her usual cold self, seemingly not caring about what happened to Carmine.

" They won't get the chance." said Shepard.

" Is that right? How do you plan on doing that Commander?" Miranda was being sarcastic. She walked around a corner that led into a hall with two doors. The Commander walked up to a door on the left.

" By adding him to the team. We could use his firepower and his skills. " He said, then pulled out his heavy pistol.

" You can't be serious, not after what you just watched. He cut a Krogan in two Shepard! " Miranda was getting angry. Shepard gave her one last look, telling her he didn't want to hear it. Carmine put his Lancer on his back, and pulled out the heavy revolver on his side. He had been conserving ammunition, maybe he could find a way to get ammunition manufactured at some point. He brought the pistol up with one hand, aiming at the door.

Shepard opened the door, and walked in on the four eyed things again, this time they looked like they were gonna kill a human.

" Please…I'm telling you the truth. I work for Mordin at the clinic. I came here to help you." said the man, he was being held up by the four eyed thing. His Omni-tool said that they were Batarians.

" We know you're spreading the plague virus. We saw the vials in your bag." The Batarian looked like he was getting mad, his grip was tightening on the collar of the mans jacket.

" No! Those vials contain the cure. Please…you have to believe me." The man was getting frightened. He was shaking his head side to side.

" Maybe we should cut off your fingers. That should loosen your-"

" Look out!" yelled a Batarian, warning the group to the teams arrival.

" Don't move! One more step, and we kill your friend!" The Batarian pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the man. Carmine decided to speak to them before Shepard could.

" Listen, you don't want to do this. Besides the fact that you could end up dead, man isn't to blame for the spread of the plague. If he was spreading the virus, why would he come here. It's full of Vorcha that are immune to the virus. " Carmine kept his pistol aimed for the leader.

" That giant is right, it doesn't make any sense." said the Batarian that had yelled about them. The leader looked up at Carmine, taking him as the leader of the group.

" If we release the prisoner, we can go?" He looked like he was desperate. Carmine nodded his head.

" You have my word." Carmine was hoping this worked, the man looked innocent.

" Alright, let him go. " The leader told the other Batarian. The Batarian let his shotgun fall to his waist. " Ok, you got what you wanted human, can we go? " He asked Carmine. Carmine nodded his head.

" Human nobility, I didn't know such a thing existed. " The Batarians left on that last set of words. The team looked at carmine questionably, he just shrugged and turned his attention back to the man. The man turned towards Shepard.

" Thank you. I thought they were going to… to kill me. " The man started rubbing his hands together. " Did Mordin send you to find me?" Shepard smiled a little.

" The Professor could use your help right now. He's got too many patients and not enough volunteers." The man nodded to them.

" Ok, thank you. I owe you, well, everything." He walked out the door and headed to Mordin's Clinic.

The team walked out the door and headed for the environmental controls.

**That ends this chapter of the journey to the control room. Next is the big fight and then, off to the Normandy! R/R and give some suggestions if you want.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, sorry it took so long to update this thing. McAfee was blocking my new document upload page. I hope this isn't that bad of an update.**

Carmine was starting to get annoyed with his throat, it felt like it was lined with rubber. His voice was ruff and distorted when he spoke, instead of sounding like a young man, he sounded like an old man, it was annoying. They were approaching the door to the environmental controls, Shepard was taking the lead on the door, I was gonna bring up the rear and provide covering fire. Carmine waited patiently as Shepard worked at the door, pressing the holographic keys till the door sounded off with a chime and opened. Shepard, Garrus, and Miranda charged forward and took up defensive positions, Carmine just walked in behind them with his lancer raised.

There were a few Vorcha in the room, one looked to be the leader and walked up to the group and started to rant on about how they were going to kill everyone and stop them from turning the machines back on. Carmine took out his Longshot rifle and secured his lancer to his back. He took aim at the leader, and slowly squeezed the trigger, unleashing the armor piercing round from the rifle. The round flew through the air and landed on target, directly between the eyes of the Vorcha, said Vorcha's head exploded, splattering his blood onto the others of his group. Garrus stared wide eyed at the power of the rifle, Carmine took aim at the other two and fired, the results being foot wide hole in ones chest, a missing lower body for the other one.

" Can we turn on the fans now?" Said Carmine as he waited for the group to stand up, still getting over the power of the rifle he held. Shepard walked up to the controls and inserted a the vial that the Professor had given him. Carmine stood and put his rifle up to his shoulder, checking the surrounding catwalk, this place was perfect for an ambush. The fans hadn't started up, meaning something was wrong. Shepard walked up to them.

" Alright, the fans need to be activated manually, Garrus, Miranda, and I will take the eastern fan controls. Carmine, you'll take the western ones, think you can handle it?" Carmine nodded, keeping his rifle shouldered as he took the right side of the room, Shepard and the others going left. All hell broke loose, Vorcha pouring in from the control rooms and surrounding the room from the catwalks, a Krogan charged them, Carmine put a bullet in his head to change his mind. The Vorcha quickly started to die, but then there heavies hit, rockets exploding, Carmine took cover and started to pick them off, one by one. He smiled as he shot the last heavy in the chest, blood spattering the railing behind it.

Carmine stood and walked around the corner, only to get charged by a Krogan. His rifle was knocked away and behind the Krogan, Carmine quickly pulled up his revolver, and stood to challenge the Krogan. The Krogan charged at him with full speed, ramming him into the wall and pinning him. The Krogan started to bash his fists into Carmine, his chest armor denting and cracking, smashing his ribs. Carmine started to bash the gun into the helmet of the Krogan, cracking the left lense of the Krogan's helmet. Carmine was coughed as he was punched in the chest, blood spurting from his mouth. Benjamin jammed the barrel of the revolver into the broken lense, and pulled the trigger. The .500 magnum round flew through the eye of the Krogan, causing the Krogan's skull to explode inside the helmet, the round escaping out the back of the helmet. Carmine fell to the ground, the Krogan falling backwards. Benjamin wiped his face on his sleeve, orange fluid and blood mixed with brain bits covered his arm. He stood and started to make his way to the now empty fan control room. He walked in and noticed a giant red holographic button, he pressed it, turning on the fans. Carmine turned around and headed back to meet up with the Commander.

Benjamin could feel his broken ribs shift as he walked down the catwalk and up the ramp. He nodded to the Commander as he walked up to the group. Benjamin walked tall as he came up to them. Garrus nodded to him, and Miranda just looked back to Shepard.

"Alright, let's head back to Mordin's Clinic. We'll get him and then head back to the ship. Move out squad." With that, they headed back, and hopefully to answers.

**Sorry that the update is so short, but it doesn't feel right to just thrown the next piece in with this. It doesn't mesh right if you do one and have to cool down between them.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long to update. Ok, let's roll.**

It was dark in the dock, the light panels above them having malfunctioned. It didn't matter though, all it did was increase the magnificence of the beast before them. The Normandy, a ship that could fly across the galaxy in a few weeks. It was a beautiful sight to Carmine.

The team was heading into the ship, ready to get off of the station. Carmine had grabbed his helmet and picked up an abandoned blue sons helmet to replace his fried electronics. Ben was standing, looking out the glass of the dock, admiring the magnificent ship. He had only seen things like this in comic books and science-fiction movies. It's sleek design was far more efficient than anything his people had ever used. Ben turned and joined the others of his new squad.

Carmine remained the tallest of the group, standing high above them. He didn't mind Mordin, the doctor was very fast. He jumped from subject to subject, often not making sense but, he was smart. The man was a genius. Ben noticed that Garrus was still casting him a glance every now and then, probably wasn't used to his height. Ben was starting to notice how short everyone was, he'd have to ask how tall he was in there measurements. The room glowed as he presumed that they were being decontaminated. Shepard decided to talk to the squad as the door opened.

" Ok everyone, you know where you need to go. Carmine?" Shepard looked at Carmine to get his attention. Carmine looked up from his helmet, giving the Commander his full attention.

" I need you to go to medical. You need to head to the elevator at the back of the CIC. Medical will be on the second level and to the right." Carmine nodded, heading out the door after everyone else. He decided to just go straight to the Medical bay. He walked past several people, stopping their work to stare in awe at him. He didn't understand why everyone had to stare, it made him feel strange. He stopped at the elevator, not sure what to do.

" You must be new, let me get that for you." An overly cheery voice said behind him. He watched a slim, redheaded woman step up beside him, pressing a holographic panel on the side of the elevator. She gave him a bright smile, it was nice of her. The door opened and they walked inside, she pressed the panel on the inside of the elevator.

" Hi, my names Benjamin, Benjamin Carmine." He held his hand out for her to shake. She smiled again and accepted, her hand like a child's in his. She had very small hands, her arms very slender. She was an extremely attractive woman, her red hair was a rarity, it was very bright. It stood out when contrasted by her pale skin and blue eyes.

" Hello Ben, my name is Kelly, Kelly Chambers. It's a pleasure to meet you, welcome aboard the Normandy." Her voice was high and clear, full of cheer. He smiled, walking out of the elevator now that the door had opened.

" It was nice meeting you Kelly, I'll see you around." He smiled as he walked away, to the right like Shepard said. The walls were strange, being all steel. What else did he expect to see though, it was a metallic space ship. He walked into a mess area, a man was cooking. He walked to the room on the right, an older woman sitting by a desk, the door open. He stood, not wanting to bother her. She was very attractive for an older woman. She stood from her desk, pad in hand. She looked at him with a frown.

" And you are?" Her eyes looked him up and down, appraising him. She gained a slight smirk, her face brightening a little. He kept his face straight, readjusting the two helmets under his right arm trying to get them both to settle and not fall.

" Benjamin, Benjamin Carmine. I'm the new member of the Normandy crew. The Commander told me to head to medical. I'm guessing this is the place." He watched her, she nodded. She walked over to the door, working the holographic panel and shutting it.

" Ok, I'll need you to strip out of your equipment and armor. Then, you'll need to hop onto that table." Carmine nodded, removing his armor, slowly letting his webbed scars and tattoos show. The webbed scars were fresh, all of them traced his veins, crisscrossing across his body. The tribal on his face continued down his arm, many symbols tracing the ink markings. Carmine wasn't the most handsome man but, he wasn't that bad looking. He may have sounded like a younger man when with his comrades, his face was one that gave the doctor chills, a young soul that has seen too much. Ben was left with his armor on the ground, weapons and equipment fallen around the edge of the table, left standing in his standard issue grey boxers and tank top. Carmine sat on the table, far too tall for hopping to be necessary.

The Doctor started to look him up and down, taking out a tool of some sort. She scanned every inch of his body, the device constantly beeping. She kept looking at the data pad in her hands, eye brows raising in interest multiple times. Her face finally settled into a scowl.

" Alright, please lay down. The automated systems will take care of the rest." Carmine nodded, lying on the table, metal arms circling him. He felt his body pierced with needles, most likely taking blood and tissue samples. A large arm with an eye scanned him further, the light blinding him at times, but otherwise not too bothersome. The arms receded, allowing him to stand again.

" Well, that's all Mr. Carmine. You may return to the Commander." She gave him a smile. He pulled his armor back on, piece by piece. He lifted his lancer up to his back, the magnetic plates taking hold again. Picking up the two helmets, he nodded his thanks to the doctor and left the bay, heading down to the engineering bay.

Dr. Chakwas was typing furiously on her tablet, sending a message to the Commander. She might have just stumbled upon something that could be life changing in the young man that had just joined the crew of the Normandy.

_/Chkws - Shepard, I need you to come to med bay in an hour. I might have found something very interesting._

_/Shprd - What's going on?_

_/Chkws - You'll find out once you arrive._

The signal in the chat went dead, it didn't take much for the Doctor to convince Shepard. This man might have the answers to her prayers.

Carmine was headed to Engineering, apparently there was room down there for him. So far, he had been enjoying the ship, excited by the sights he was seeing. He had always dreamed of seeing something as amazing as this, though he didn't let his amazement show. Mostly because his skin still hurt. He was riding the elevator down to the engineering room, waiting for the slow lift to reach it's destination. He had luckily looked at what Miss Chambers had done and repeated the action, hitting a button below the one she did. The lift opened, allowing him to step out, seeing the words cargo hold on the wall, a bay window allowing him to look out into the sparsely filled cargo hold.

He turned left, then turned into the door labeled engineering. The small room before the other door had a set of stairs that led down to a dark area below. He walked ahead, not bothering to look there. The second door opened, showing a room with banks of computer terminals. He noticed the two humans, one man and a woman. They seemed friendly enough, maybe the would help him with finding his room?

" Hello, I'm looking for my quarters. The Commander said that it was in engineering. Do you think you could help? " Carmine had asked in his rough, deep voice. He sounded a bit like Sarge, but mixed with Baird somehow. The two turned to look at the new person in the room, the woman smiled.

" Oh, hey there. Shepard sent a message saying you'd come by. My name is Gabriella Daniels, but everyone calls me Gabby. This guy, " She motioned to the redheaded man on her right," is Kenneth Donnelly." The man smiled a little, opening his mouth to speak.

" But you can just call me Kenny, It's easier." The man sounded to be of Scottish decent, interesting. Carmine just nodded, giving them a little smile in return.

" I'm Benjamin Carmine, call me Carmine. Everyone else does. So, my quarters?" Gabby nodded to him and motioned for him to follow. She walked him to the wall on the left of the room, pressing a panel. A door slid open that he hadn't seen before, showing a sparsely lit room, a metal, two door cabinet sitting on the left, a cot on the right. It must have only been a ten by ten foot room. He liked it, felt like home.

"This was a storage room for tools, but I hope you won't mind using it for a bedroom. I know it isn't much, but it's still private." She ended with a smile. Carmine gave his own smile in return.

" It's fine, I think I'll be okay with it, reminds me of home." He walked into the room, setting his things down and taking in the room a bit more. He liked it, small and simple. He sat down on the cot and decided to lay down, he could use a nap.

" Thank you Gabby." He said, she just nodded, leaving the door to close automatically. Carmine let himself drift into a deep sleep, memories and visions slowly making their way to his minds eye.

**Ok, tell me what you think. I'm sorry for the small update. If some of the characters are a bit off, I'm sorry. I'm tring to work with what I have at the moment.**


	5. Chapter 5

It was dark, voices were coming from all around him. He couldn't silence them, they seemed to come from every angle. They cursed him, told him he was failure to the Carmine line of soldiers. He saw the face of his brothers, yelling and screaming, telling he he was worthless, but then they all went quiet. He seemed to be lifted from this blackened place and pulled to a place of light...he was looking straight at the light above his bed. He had a headache, he was dizzy, and he was gonna throw up if he tried to move again. He felt like he was dieing, for all he knew he was.

He looked around the room, he hadn't really looked at it when he crashed out. The room was small, maybe twelve by eight feet. It was a gunmetal grey, easy on the eyes. The bed was only three feet wide, enough to hold him and sleep, but that's all. The bed was pushed against the corner, away from the door that made the left half of the wall. The right side of the room was made up of a cabinet, a workbench that had a storage shelf under it, and another cabinet. They were steel cabinets with doors, it looked very old fashioned for what he'd seen on the ship, but still durable. The lights were like old mine lights, round metal lamps with a light bulb that hund from the cieling, two of them. He also had a peg board to hold tools above the bench, the tools having been removed.

Ben stood, letting his headache settle before moving anymore. He walked toward the door, grabbing his rifle and the two helmets as he left. The room beyond was the main engineering room, which was empty. It held consoles, most of which looked as though they were displaying numbers, charts, and readouts. He walked to the door, it slid open and allowed him into a stairwell, walking through the door ahead of him. He walked over to the elevator and entered, going to the second deck to visit the armory. The elevator was slow, unlike back home...home. Carmine thought about home, his brothers, mother, his squad. He felt like he let them down, getting transported here, this new place.

The elevator stopped at the second deck after what seemed like an eternity. He walked out, the CIC was an interesting room for sure. It held a large holographic map, something he had seen only a few times back at home. It was of the Milky Way Galaxy. He had only seen it a few times, and he knew what arm his planet was in. He had just been shot across the galaxy from a lab. Somehow, Carmine felt a sense of relief in knowing that he was still in his dimension. It meant he could still find his brothers and his family.

Ben noticed that the yemon, kelly, was smiling his way and he smiled back. She seemed like a genuinely nice person. She walked up to him, red hair moving slightly with her advance. She was very beautiful.

" Hello Carmine, feeling alright? You look a little rough." She asked him with concern. Carmine smiled, his growing beard making him look even more feral than he thought. His tribal tattoos stretched and bent to contour with the lines and angles of his face. The scars that had formed from the transport of his body did the same, the webbing scars on his face making him look stranger than he thought he could.

" I'm fine Mrs. Chambers, no worries. I'm roughed up a bit, but nothing that's gonna stop me." He smiled, happy that someone was showing concern. His voice was rough still, but he was glad that it no longer felt as though his throat was made of rubber. It was very annoying to talk that way.

" That's good to hear Ben, where are you headin?" She asked politely, genuine curiousity filling her eyes.

" Just heading to the armory, though it would help if I knew where it was. Do you know where it is?" Ben asked, he had forgot to ask before. He was going to see about getting some more ammuntion and to try and fix his helmet. He knew it wasn't going to work without a little bit of work.

" Of course, follow me." She said happily. She turned right and started to walk, Ben followed, glad to be helped so easily. She walked through a set of doors, a room filled with tables and cabinets in front of them. Guns lay in pieces for cleaning or freshly reassembled. It was an armory for sure.

" Here you are, feel free to ask me for anything else you might need assistance with Carmine. " She said with a smile, walking out of the room. Ben smiled again, looking around the room. He spotted a man at the back of the room, working on a sniper rifle. He had dark skin, black hair, and was definatley a man of the military. He moved with precision, no slack movements, no unecessary force. Ben walked to him.

" Excuse me, can you help me?" The man turned around, smiled, and held out his hand.

" Hey, name's Jacob Taylor, you must be that new guy they picked up, must be. I've never seen a soldier, hell, a human as big as you are. " He looked Ben up and down, nodding in approval.

" Sure am sir, my name is Benjamin Carmine. Most just call me Carmine." I shook his hand, our grips firm and solid. Jacob smiled.

" You look like a brick shit house. That's some tough looking armor you have man. What do you need help with? " Ben showed him the two helmets.

" I need help fixing my helmet, also, is there any way you could make me some ammo for my guns?" I layed everything out on the empty table next to us. My longshot, revolver, and lancer, along with the two helmets. Jacob seemed to be sizing them up, looking at each one. He lingered on the lancer, a questioning look as he inspected the chainsaw bayonet. He looked very intrigued by them.

" So, you use ballistic rounds? I didn't think anyone still had those, only antiques. One thing's for sure, these things look like they'll tear up anything that comes in contact with them for sure. I could reproduce the rounds, no problem. Might even be able to make some improvements on them." Ben smiled, glad that he could keep his weapons.

" Thank you, I hope they're ready soon. I've got enough for maybe another run in like before, but that's it. I'm gonna go see shepard, he said something about a meeting to introduce me to everyone." Ben started to leave, until jacob's voice hit him.

" Just head to the meeting room, it's in the door to the right. Everyone's gonna be there soon, so it shouldn't take long." Ben nodded, heading through the door. Two more doors were located in the hall, one on the right and one straight ahead of him. He went through the one on the right, ending up in a room with a long table, a holographic representation of the Normandy in the center. Ben took a seat on the ground in the back, sitting on the ground against the wall. He was still in shock a little from the events earlier, it was something he thought could never happen in any realm of possibility. He missed everyone, but something told him he had a bigger role to play now, as if he had been given a bigger purpose. He closed his eyes, intent on getting a nap before whatever they had planned, until Shepard walked in. Carmine stood, saluting the smaller man.

" Sir!" Ben yelled out of habit. His yell was soft, but firm. Shepard smiled, saluting back.

" At ease soldier, just here to talk to you before the show begins." They both relaxed.

" What do you want to talk about Commander?" Shepard's face grew a bit firmer, he walked over to the table, leaning on it and looking at the hologram. He looked to be in thought, as though he was about to say something important.

" Carmine, our doctor found some interesting things about you in her exam of you. In your system, was a bioconducter that she had never seen before. Most of it is out of your system, but it allowed your body to go through a mass accelerator. I think you got transported here from another part of the galaxy. This means that there is another race of humans out there. We need to find them. You see, we're here to fight the coming of a race of synthetic beings intent on destroying all life in the galaxy." Ben noded, of course there was more things trying to kill him. It wasn't very surprising news. Shepard, seeing that he had heard him, continued.

" Also, it seems that you aren't exactly the same as us humans. You have much more testosterone and much more muscle mass and bone mass than most. You even have extra organs, of which I could suspect is an augmentation. You have an exact DNA match to us, you just developed differently. Before anything, I need to know I can trust you with the lives of my crew. That you'll be willing to put your life on the line for me and my crew, just like we're gonna do for you. Will you?" Shepard looked to Carmine, hoping to get the answer he wanted. Ben thought hard on what he had been told. He could save his world. He knew what he had to do.

" Sir, yes sir. I've got your back, all the way to hell." I saluted the man, smiling, my tattoos and scars giving me that look of feralness. Shepard smiled aswell.

**Read and review**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the wait**

Ben had been accepted by the crew, making friends quickly with his good nature. He had gotten some extra tools and items and placed them in his room. He was in the airlock, the ship had just docked with a prison ship. They had docked to pick up a package, their new team mate. All they knew was that their name was Jack.

Ben was behind the two, Miranda and Shepard standing side by side in the airlock. The door opened, allowing them access to the ship beyond. They stepped out, making they're way towards a group of those men in blue, the blue suns if he remembered right. A Turian was standing in front of a set of stairs, waiting for them. Two guards, one on each side, were armed and pointing at them. The Turian took a step forward.

"Commander Shepard, you're package is being prepped and readied for transport. If you'll relinquish your weapons, I'll escort you to out processing where you can receive your package." The guard stood resolute, waiting for the three of them to lay down their weapons. Ben didn't know about Shepard and Miranda, but there wasn't any way he was giving up his gun to walk into some trap.

"Not gonna happen. " Shepard said, his voice rough. The look in his eye was firm, he wasn't going to let them have their guns.

"You must understand, this is a secure facility. To control the population, no weapons are aloud in the facility." The guard was looking hesitant, not really sure what to do. Carmine was getting a little annoyed at the guards persistence. He decided to voice his opinion.

"We're not going anywhere without our weapons." Carmine spoke, his voice deep and solid. He made the guard flinch, not something he was used to doing. The guard was about to retort, when another Turian walked in, his helmet not on. He walked with purpose and an air of arrogance, no doubt in Ben's mind that this was probably the warden.

"Stand down men, they can keep their weapons. I think our security can handle two armed humans and an...oddly big one who enjoys antiques. " the men lowered their weapons, standing at ease now. The warden came up to Shepard, looking him over. "My name is warden Kuril. Your package is almost ready Shepard, Jack will be ready and waiting in out processing. I'll escort you and give you a small tour of our facilities here on Purgatory. If you'll follow me..." He turned and started walking. Shepard gave us each a look, and started to follow.

Carmine looked around the ship as they entered the hall. It was clear glass walls that viewed a room filled with pods. A giant mechanical arm worked its way around them, exchanging them for an empty slot and taking them to locks on the walls of the hall. Carmine didn't like this place.

"This ship is home to some of the most dangerous criminals on the galaxy, it's based on principle. I was once a C-sec officer on Palaven, I was tired of seeing criminals go free because of red tape and time. So, I asked myself, how do you keep criminals controlled and away from others? In space of course." The Turian was smiling, looking out over the Facility. He was proud, that much was certain. Shepard didn't like the look of him

"So, this place is based on principle? It must cost a lot to fund a place like this." John wondered why the Warden would run a place like this, surely not for the sake of doing good.

"Of course Commander, and since we don't operate under a governing body, we can cut corners that others can't. Also, each government pays well to keep these prisoners here. we have twenty cell blocks just like this one, along with a supermax wing." The Warden got a look in his eye, Shepard didn't like it, neither did Carmine.

Ben was a little worried about this place.

"What happens when a government can't pay for the prisoner anymore? " Ben asked, his rough voice setting the warden on edge. A smug look came over his plated face.

"When a government can no longer give funds to pay for a prisoner, they are returned. We send a notice that we apologize and that we are simply not able to keep their prisoner housed. That prisoner will be returned to his home planet at an unspecified location, time and date. They tend to come around" Ben was angry, they were blackmailing people for money. This place had no honor, John knew this as well. An angry look came about him.

"So, it's a racketeering ring?" The Warden looked offended, but obviously didn't care.

"Call it what you want, we simply contain criminals. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a prison to run. Out processing is ahead, just passed the supermax wing, I hope you enjoy your purchase." The Turian walked off, Carmine didn't like Kuril. Something about him screamed asshole. The squad moved down the hall to out processing. Ben in the back, Shepard and Miranda ahead.

The room they entered was sparse, one technician and a few dried blood splatters was hardly inviting.

"Out processing is through the door at the back of the room." The technician left the room, leaving the squad alone. They walked to the door, Shepard opening the door, it was a cell, just like the ones outside. A voice came over the loudspeaker, filling the room. It was Kuril.

"I'm sorry Shepard, but you're much more valuable as a prisoner than a customer. If you and your team will lower your weapons and proceed into the cell, no one will be hurt." His voice was still arrogant, it made Ben mad. He turned around, away from the cell and started walking.

" We need to find Jack, I'm not gonna be a prisoner in this place. " Carmine pulled out his rifle, the old rifle was crude, but effective. A group of Blue suns walked in, fully expecting to easily put down this group of 'new' prisoners. What they weren't expecting was an eight foot tall man, shooting fifty caliber rounds at them from an assault rifle that had a chainsaw.

Carmine frowned, Shepard yelling to get to cover, Ben just pulled the trigger, the rounds shredding and ripping the Merck apart. Blood splattered on his chest and face, some red, some blue. The screams of the dying slowly fading, soon, silence was left. Blood covered the front of Ben's armor, the metal floor flooded in multi-colored blood, shredded limbs and bone shards laying among the destroyed bodies and blood. A siren sounded, Kuril's voice coming over the loudspeaker and shouting for guards.

" Keep them away from Jack!" His voice was panicked. Ben looked back at Shepard, waiting for his next orders. Shepard looked towards him, a look on his face that was hard to place. Carmine was worried he had overstepped his boundaries.

" Carmine, you any good with that rifle of yours? " he nodded to the Longshot on Bens back. It was sleek and thin, but it was tough. It had a hell of a kick too, shot a large caliber shell that pierced armor. Carmine holstered his rifle, pulling the Longshot out, holding it in his rough gloved hands.

" Best in my class Commander." Shepard smiled, nodding. He walked ahead of Ben, we started in a group, me in the back.

" Ben, I want you to provide sniper support since me and Miranda are close range." Ben nodded, readying his rifle as they moved down a corridor that lead to the supermax wing. A group of mechanical dogs and Mercs rounded the corner, charging them. Shepard and Miranda mowed the mechs down, Carmine aiming at the Merc with shields.

Ben brought his rifle to bear, shoulder meeting the butt of the rifle. He peered into the scope, lining his sights up within the four eyes if the Batarian. He let his heart settle, his breath measured and held. He pulled on the featherlight trigger, a loud crack echoing off the walls. The round hit true, the skull of the Alien bursting like a melon, blood and brain matter spreading over the wall and on his allies.

Ben let his breath return, focusing next on a fleeing Turian. The man was terrified of the carnage dealt from the rifle, his face contorted in fear. He lined the sights up with the creatures chest, letting out his breath, pulling the trigger again. This time, the back of the Turian is shredded and blown against the wall behind him, he falls to the ground dead. The rest of the Mercenaries soon followed in the same manner. As the bodies lay, shredded and torn like the others, the group made their way down the hall.

The door opened, a technician opening fire on them with a pistol. He screamed, gunned down by the trio. The three fighters walked up to the far window, console set up that controlled the cryogenic cell below. Four mechs surrounded a ramp, leading up to a circular disc of some kind. That must be where they were keeping Jack, at least, Ben thought so. Shepard was focusing on the console, about to hit a release button before Miranda stepped in.

"Commander, are you sure it's wise to release them? You've got no idea what Jack could be capable of. For all you know, they could kill us!" Her tone was serious, but Carmine and John both hated how it sounded. She had no say in this, but Shepard though about it, but was unfazed.

"Relax Miss Lawson, we came here to recruit them, nothing is gonna change that." John's voice was stern, like scolding a child. He moved over to the console again, pressing holographic keys and buttons. A siren sounded, warning lights flashing and bathing the room in a yellow light. The Mechs activated, the lumbering metal giants turning, training their weapons to the top of the ramp.

The cylinder rose, frost covered and fog rolling out onto the room. Carmine was mystified, the whole event seeming otherworldly to him, but that wasn't what intrigued him. His focus was instead on the figure that was inside. Arms clamped and ankles restrained, was one of the most beautiful things he had seen. She was beautiful, he didn't know why though. He was certain most people would have thought she was crazy, bald and covered in tattoos. To Ben though, she was amazing. Her eyes fluttered open, and she yelled at the top of her lungs in anger.

Her arm glows, a dark, water-like substance covering her hands. She ripped her left arm free, the metal restraint breaking apart like it was made of clay. She grabbed her other restraints, shredding them in the same manner. The mechs started to target her, she ran, screaming and thrashing. Several explosions filled the room, bright light filling the room.

"Come on! We need to go help!" They ran through a side door that led to the detainment floor. They ran down the ramp and out in to the room, expecting mechs to take on. What they found was nothing more than burning scrap and a giant hole in the wall.

"That's one strong woman, she ripped a hole in the wall!" Ben stared at the gaping hole, it was huge. Shepard motioned for them to follow. Sirens were going off, the ship was shaking and rattling from explosions. Ben really hoped they could make it off of the station before it went up in flames.

_Warning, cell blocks one, seven, nine and thirteen depreasurized, no survivors. _A computer announced, they didn't have much time left.

Ben sped up, running down the destroyed path, until the team came out into one of the cell blocks. Blue suns and prisoners were fighting, riots all over the ship.

"Mercs at twelve o'clock! Open fire!" Shepard yelled, immediately they all opened fire. The mercenaries hid behind cover, collapsing walls and fallen metal panels. They fired heavily, forcing the team to take over. Ben was in the back, rifle at the ready and looking for shots. He located a target, aiming at his heart. The shot was loud and went wide, taking the arm of an unsuspecting Turian right off, blood spraying in the air. The Turian screamed and stood up, allowing Shepard to nail him with a head shot.

More troops filed in, more explosions. Ben wasn't sure if they would make it in time. He put his rifle away, pulling out his pistol, holding the .500 magnum weapon in his right hand, unsheathing his combat knife with the left. He opened his com to the commander, hoping he'd like the plan.

"Commander, I can catch up to Jack if you let me go on ahead. I don't think we'll make it out otherwise. Please sir, I wanna prove I can do this." Shepard looked to him, then back to the battle.

"Ben, you already have my trust, but if you think you can do it, the alright. Permission granted Private, good luck." He finished the sentence, a smile on his face. Ben nodded, and hopped over his cover, running into the mass of mercs.

**Thank you for waiting, sorry. I hope you like it, read and review as always for ideas and suggestions. I have a poll on my page for pairings**


	7. Chapter 7

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, running to the opposite edge of the large room. He aimed his pistol, firing towards the encroaching enemies. This served the purpose of making them hid and seek cover from the large pistols wrath. Ben jumped up onto a crate, sheathing his knife at the same time. He jumped up to the walkway above and grabbed onto a ladder that was connected to an emergency hatch.

He proceeded to pull himself up the later, shots bouncing off of the metal walls around him. The metal of the ladders rungs was unused and rough, allowing him to easily pull himself up and to the hatch. Using his left arm, he pulled the emergency release and pushed the hatch up. Ben climbed the ladder and up into the observation hallway. Fire burned everywhere and he could barely breathe. He needed to make his way back to the ship, which was where Jack would go for sure.

Ben ran, his breath running short due to the smoke. He had yet to run into any interference. Jack had ripped apart everything, using beams to bash Mercs and she ran them through. Blood flowed from the bodies of her victims. She was extremely tough, that was for sure. He came across a few that were still alive, but he didn't want to stay very long.

The hall was long, longer than he remembered when he came aboard the ship. He could hear Jacks screaming and yelling along with loud booms and thunderous crashes. She was pissed, that much was obvious even to Carmine. He ran faster and faster. He needed to get to her before she destroyed the space ship entirely.

His boots made his steps loud and thundering as he made his way back to the docking bay. The airlocks that had previously been shut were now torn as if they had been paper. Shrapnel lay everywhere and dead bodies littered the ground. At the end of the long hallway, amidst fire and blood stood a woman of the likes Ben was not accustomed to meeting. She paced and growled, cursing about Cerberus and how she was going to kill them all. He reached out to her as he approached, trying to get her attention her yelled for her.

"Jack! Wait up..." Ben waited for Jack to look at him, but what he got was something he wasn't expecting in the slightest. He had at one moment been standing on solid metal sheeting and the next all he could feel was pain and a numbness in the left side of his face. He opened his eyes and noticed he was now on his back, Jack standing on top of his chest. Her fist was alight with a blue glow that radiated power of a lethal kind. He couldn't see very well, his left eye not even showing anything and his right somewhat blurred when he tried to focus on anything besides the woman on top of him.

"Who the fuck are you and why in the hell shouldn't I end your pathetic little excuse of a life? You got five!" Her voice was solid and strong. She was serious about her request and Ben knew she wasn't going to hold back. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but he needed to convince her. In his life, Carmine had found that the truth was always the best way to go.

"Benjamin Carmine, I'm a Gear, Rank Private in the COG military on the planet Sera. My squad is Delta-One, Sergeant Fenix, Corporal Santiago are my squad mates. I'm the youngest in my family. I love bacon and I am the smallest in my family. I'm here to pick you up and add you to my commander's crew to take out a galactic threat of epic proportions!" His voice was still rough, deep, and loud. It reverberated throughout the room.

Jack was taken aback by the response. She had expected a lot, but definitely not that. Her hand stopped glowing slowly and it came to rest back at her side. She looked confuse, and looked Ben straight into his brown eyes, trying to find some sort of tell. In those brown, innocent, and bloodshot eyes, she found no such thing. He was telling her the truth...

"What makes you think I'm going to go with you? I can only assume you're with Cerberus, why else would you have that damned logo on your ship?!" Ben went to answer, only to get interrupted by another.

"Because, I owe them and they also don't want the galaxy to end." Commander Shepard had arrived, Miranda Lawson in tow behind him. They had their weapons put away, no obvious fear that the girl above Ben could rip them in half.

"I don't work for Cerberus, I'm just using the resources that they are giving me. In no way am I in their control." Jack still didn't look like she was buying it. She needed more to get her to turn to their side. Ben judged that she hated Cerberus. Maybe, she would want to know more about them.

"What if we give you information on Cerberus, would that get you to join?" Ben looked up to her, locking his eyes with hers. She looked thoughtful for a moment, contemplating the decision.

"We can give you anything you want. You'll have full access to all of our resources, unrestricted to the fullest extent." John looked to Jack. This was the only way, but it had to be done. They needed all the help they could get with this fight. Jack smirked devilishly at them, certain she had gotten the better deal.

"I get full access to all the files you have on Cerberus? I would have to be stupid to say no to that, I'm in." She got off of Ben, grabbing his arm and pulling him up to his feet. His face was bloody, but he could finally see again. He just needed to sleep it off, he would be fine by the time they had another mission. Jacks had stayed just a moment longer than necessary, but when Ben went to look, she was already following John back to the ship. Carmine was sure it was nothing…

**Let me know how you feel. I want to get more into this story again. I'm sorry if it's not a good chapter, but it's the best I could do now that I'm in college.**


	8. Chapter 8: Recouping and Bacon

Ben was sitting alone in his room trying to go over what had happened on the last mission. He had been trying to get over the shock that he was in space ever since he had gotten here, wherever here was. Nothing worked though, he kept thinking of home. Thoughts of his squad came up, thoughts of his brothers, his Ma and Pa. Had he failed them? Had he failed his fellow gears? He couldn't help but feel that he needed to return home...he wished he had some way to do it.

He had removed his chest armor and was going through it on his work bench. His armor had taken quite a few hits in the last engagement. He was also running low on ammunition. He would have to go to the armory and pick up the new ammo from Mr. Taylor. He was looking over his longshot rifle, checking every inch of it for any detrimental damage. It had many scratches and nicks, but so far he had yet to damage the high powered rifle.

He placed the rifle on the bench, looking at his helmet. It had been delivered while he was away with Shepard on Purgatory. It was still burnt and had several scorch marks around the optics, but the optics themselves and the inside padding had been refurbished. He slid the helmet on, hearing it hiss as it sealed onto his body suit. Unlike most gears, he kept the body glove on.

They body glove was a simple enough concept. It was a spandex jumpsuit that sealed air tight onto your skin. It covered your arms, legs and torso. Your gloves, boots and helmet finished the seal that made it airtight. It had been tested temporarily in space when they were putting a satellite up for the hammer of dawn array. While the suits they used in space had been heavily modified, he should 'technically' be able to add oxygen recycling tanks inside his armors compartments to be able to breathe if he had to go into a zero g environment.

He felt comfort in seeing his familiar blue tinted optics light up. The helmets audio receptors amplified the noises around him. He could hear distant whispers. The engineers outside were talking about engine repairs and maintenance. He could also here someone cursing...a lot. That was most likely that woman Jack. She had quite a mouth on here if he had to say so himself. He and his brothers rarely used curse-words, their mother would usually beat them with a wooden spoon if they did.

Something about her had been unusual, but he had decided that it was just his imagination. Him being the youngest of his brothers at the age of eighteen, he had never really been around girls. His Ma always said he was a shy boy who wouldn't see a brick unless it hit him. He was sure it just meant he couldn't understand women.

That being said, Ben really missed home. He was even starting to miss the constant threat of the Locust. Out here, on this ship, he just felt like he was being lazy. He wasn't constantly drilling or moving to the next mission location like back home. Home...he really missed his family. He even missed Anthony.

Ben started to clean his gear, wiping a cloth over it to clean off the grime that was building up. He wiped his chest plate in slow, careful circles. The blue hue of the armor started to shine again. He liked his gear, it was a comfortable fit.

One thing Ben couldn't figure out was how he was so tall here, but at home he was a runt compared to his brothers and other Gears. He towered over everyone here and he was just a kid. Everyone here was just smaller for some reason, like they were miniature. Not that he minded being the big guy for once, but it was bothering him a little.

He would probably need food soon. He hadn't really eaten anything since he had gotten back from the mission. That was a couple hours ago, so he could probably kill some time by going up to the Galley and getting some grub.

He decided to strap his armor back on. He pulled the heavy metal chest piece on over his head, sliding his arms into the sleeves and strapping the gauntlets tightly to his wrists. He felt comfortable wearing the heavy armor, it reassured him and helped him believe that he would be safe.

Standing up and backing away from the table, he decided no time was better than now to go get that grub that he needed. He walked to his door, sliding his hand over the holographic switch on the right side of the door. He watched as the door slid to the right, allowing him access to the bay. He walked through the door, turning around and closing it as he did.

The engineering bay was empty at the moment, Ken and Gabby must have went to their quarters for some rest. He enjoyed talking with them, they reminded him of some of his classmates when he was in school. They always made him smile a little bit.

Ben walked to the door, it automatically opening for him. It reminded him of the doors at the supermarket in a way. He passed through and noticed the ships newest crew member walking out the opposite door. He hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to her, maybe they could talk for a bit?

He jogged up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder when they passed through the doorway. He was getting ready to say hello when she freaked out.

" Get the fuck off me!" She yelled as she spun around and slammed her fist into his face. He staggered back a bit and held up his hands in defense. He hadn't meant to startle her.

" Hey, calm down! I just wanted to talk a little, okay?" Ben said hurriedly said as Jack prepared another strike. She stopped, the energy covering her fist fading away. She was breathing hard, obviously still angry.

" Don't touch me, you little shit. I don't care how big and tough you are, I will kill you." She looked him dead in his eyes, or at least his optics. She was mad, furious even, but Ben could see that look in her eyes. It was an act. His brother had went through a phase like this once and his father set him straight. Something bad had happened to her though, he could tell.

" What happened?" He asked. She looked at him confused. She didn't really know what he was asking.

" What the fuck do you mean, 'What happened'? You came up behind me and grabbed me!" She yelled, getting in his face, her fists once again becoming surrounded by that bluish black energy. Ben just kept starting into her eyes, seeing that fear behind the anger. This was obviously not the best time, maybe another day he would bring it up. Instead, he just sighed.

" I'm sorry for grabbing you. I just thought maybe we could talk a little bit before I headed up to get some food. If you want, you could even join me. What do you say?" Ben asked, just trying to be friendly. She just huffed and mumbled as she walked back through the door and down the stairs. Had he really been that bad?

Deciding to do something else rather than just sit around, Ben walked up to the elevator and walked in. This time, an older man came up and stood beside him inside the elevator. He wore some roughed up looking armor. He also had a scar around his right eye, the eye itself a milky white color that was common with blindness. He looked to Ben, nodding and reaching his hand out in a gesture of a handshake.

" Hey there, names Zaeed Massani. You must be the guy we picked up on Omega. Your name is?" He had an accent that reminded him of the men of the southeast seas on Sera, they were a rough bunch. Ben grasped his extended right hand with his own, shaking it once in a firm fashion.

" Benjamin Carmine, pleasure to meet you." The older man laughed a little, a smile coming to his face. He watched the doors close and turned back to look at Benjamin.

" You must be young, manners like that get lost after you start to age. How old are you anyways? Twenty, twenty-five?" Zaeed asked, purely curious as to Ben's age. Surely a man of that insane height and build couldn't be any younger.

" I just turned eighteen a few months ago actually. Thanks for the compliment though." Ben said. Zaeed just looked at him, his jaw a little slack from shock. He quickly regained his composure though and chuckled a bit.

" Damn, wish we got all got as big as you. Probably wouldn't get pushed around as much, ha! That would have taught those Turians back when we made first contact. You look like you could rip one in half, no offense." He chuckled when Ben just shrugged. He was used to that. Gears were always a lot bigger than any non-military personnel. They were trained for battle and as a result of genetic modifications and supplements they grew far larger than other men of Sera.

" In all honesty, where I'm from I'm smaller than most. I'll get a few inches taller in the next few years. I hope to be as tall as my brother Clayton when I get to be his age." These words from Ben made Zaeed laugh even more.

" Where are you from anyways, never heard of men your size anywhere in during my time. Are you from the Traverse or a colony outside Citadel space?" Zaeed asked. He was certainly curious as to where this soldier came from. Judging by the gleaming titanium revolver on his hip, he was from a primitive world. Probably a self funded colony in the Terminus somewhere that didn't have a lot of money.

" You could say we're a well kept secret. Maybe you can visit sometime and share stories when the war is over." Ben told him. He wished that he would be able to return home. He wanted to tell everyone about all he had seen. To tell them they didn't have to fight the locust or the Lambent anymore. They could fall back to another planet and regroup and maybe even make peace.

That was a dream he rather liked. Making peace so no one had to die anymore. His Pa always told him, 'Benjamin Carnelian Carmine, everything deserves the chance to live. No one should take pride or joy in taking life. What you take pride in is defending those you love. That, and one hell of a good fight.' They were words that he remembered fondly. Few Carmines loved killing, more likely the guns, explosions and fights are what made them fight for the COG.

" A war, eh? I'm sorry bout that mate, war is never a fun thing." Zaeed sympathized with Ben. He had seen a lot of fighting in his time. He just wanted paid for it. The elevator stopped and opened on the third deck. The two men stepped out of the small metal box. They both walked to the mess, getting in line to get some food from Mess Sgt. Gardner. Ben's stomach kept grumbling and it was starting to bother him. He grabbed a tray and slid it down the counter, Zaeed following just behind him. Gardner was currently serving breakfast, Ben's favorite part of the day.

" Benjamin! What do you want today? I've got scrambled eggs, bacon and toast with a serving of orange juice. Sound alright for ya?" Gardner was proudly displaying the food on large serving trays. He was especially proud that he had made it from the basic ingredients he had been given. Ben was practically drooling when he saw the massive pile of bacon, noticeably less eaten than the eggs or toast. Gardner noticed him so focused on the bacon and immediately started piling it on his tray along with a slice of toast and three scoops of eggs.

" Whoa, are you sure?" Ben asked, dumbfounded at the amount of bacon on his tray. It must have been two pounds easy. He was hoping that Gardner wasn't joking. Gardner smiled and nodded.

" Trust me, it's yours..." He turned his head to the right and yelled to the table filled with people eating, " Nobody else here seems to eat meat anyways!" He then turned back to Ben and smiled once more. Apparently everyone on here didn't believe in the magic that came with bacon. Ben just stared at the bacon as he grabbed a juice to drink. He had never been given so much bacon before.

Ben walked over to the tables, taking a seat at the end of the table closer to the medical bay. The crew looked at him momentarily then went back to eating their food and talking. Been slid off his helmet, the snap-hiss that came with unsealing and then he could see without the blue tone of the helmets optics. He smelled the bacon and it made him so hungry. He started to drool a bit and then reached for it, admiring the crispy brown pieces of meat, when something broke his concentration.

" Whoa there big guy, what's with those tats and scars?" The voice was very playful and feminine. Ben looked up from his bacon to see where the voice had come from. In front of him was a...ninja. That's what he thought anyways. The woman was hooded and seemed to be wearing a body suit. From what he could see she had very pale skin, pale full lips and a light purple stripe that went from her bottom lip to the middle of her chin. Her eyes were a dark brown from what he could she, with a joyful glimmer that he remembered seeing in a pickpocket he had met when he was younger.

" ...What?" Ben said, still thinking of the bacon that he held in his right hand. He had to hunch over the table and his elbows were resting on the surface of the table. He hadn't really heard what she had been saying. Something about tats and scars? Could she be talking about his face?

" Your tribal and those intertwining scars on your face beg fella. Where did you get your scars and what does the tattoo represent?" She seemed genuinely curious and also very nice in Ben's opinion. He smiled at her, his canines showing slightly as he did, making his look a bit feral with his unruly brown hair, but still gentle and kind.

" Well, it'd be easier if I start with the Tattoo's. I'm warning you, it's going to take quite a while to explain it all. You sure about this miss..?" She nodded and smiled more when he agreed to tell the information.

" I'm sure. My name is Kasumi Goto and you are Private Benjamin Carmine. Shepard filled me in." She smiled, excited to get to hear what was bound to be an amazing story.

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**Leave reviews. Next, the tale of Ben's Tattoos! Sorry it's taken so long to get this out. I also apologize for skipping between first and third person the first seven chapters. I'm going full 3rd person from now on. Please enjoy and again, review. I'll read them I promise**


	9. Chapter 9: Explaining

**I enjoyed the quick response to my last chapter. It inspired me to write the continuation quickly and efficiently. Please, remember to vote for the poll on my page for the pairing. If voting doesn't pick up I will go with my default. Have fun and remember, review!**

Ben was more than willing to share his tattoo's origins. It was a fun story that he had retold to only a few people in the few months after he had received them. He cleared his voice and looked the woman, Kasumi, in the eyes. He smiled softly to here, the orange tinted lighting giving him and even warmer smile.

"Alright, best start from the beginning then. The truth is, I got all of them at the same time. They were a final parting gift from the Academy." Ben started to remember his days at the academy. His classmates were mostly conscripts and Islanders. They all had very ornate tattoos that must have meant something very deep to them. He often wished he had some ink as well.

" I wasn't the best in my class, but I never left anyone behind. I always got everyone through the exercise. I had eventually made a few friends. They explained the importance of their tattoos. They weren't just a symbol of expression, but also powers to ward off evil and death. Many of them held this strong belief." Ben said. Kasumi leaned in a little, interest piqued by the story. She wondered where Ben was from. She had never heard of his kind before.

" After boot was over and we all graduated, the guys decided it was time I got my gift." A look of both pain and fondness cam over Ben. He was reliving the memory and the pain from the tattoos came back full force.

" The tats hurt really bad in all honesty. The guy doing them was going into demolitions, so I guess it was just me being a wimp. They held me down to a table in the barracks and went to town." Ben pulled off his glove and held his hand up, back facing Kasumi. On it was a symbol that looked a lot like a dragon circling a cross.

" This symbol is supposed to be a safeguard against infections. It's a symbol of health and stability. It hurt bad, especially since the ink was homemade." Ben put his hand back down on the table. He turned his head to the side and pointed at his neck and tracing the tribal markings that ran up and down in many patterns. Strange symbols were following the tribal in lines.

" These symbols are ancient Seran, they read as such, ' Though this warrior marches to war, he shall never fall. Though this warrior is wounded, he will never die. Though this warrior is lost, he will never give up. Though this hero is in trials, may he always persevere. Glory to the Sun.' It's an ancient battle chant from the islands. It's to protect and to strengthen." Ben turned again and looked Kasumi in the eyes. He pointed to the lines on his face, intricate with similar runes spread across his cheek.

" These symbols are another chant that's much more modern. 'Aim true, but not to kill. Fire sure, but not to kill. Kill, but not to kill. Defend your life, love and family. Defend what you believe. Take life only to preserve life.' It's something that the gears made up." Been put his hands back down on the table, looking to the bacon and thinking about how he wanted to eat it. To taste it's crispy brown maple flavor.

Ben's left hand traced his scars on his face. The burns didn't hurt, but they felt rough and strange. He had never had many scars before this. They were mostly small cuts and burns. Now, half of his body was covered in these strange, crisscrossing rough scars. He at least looked normal and not disfigured.

" The rest of the tattoos are a secret, considering that most of them are messages and such. As for the scars, they're electricity burns from an experiment. I had a bio-conductive fluid in my system and it made my hyper conductive. The heat from it got so intense that it burned my veins and scarred my skin. I'm lucky that it didn't kill me." Ben looked to Kasumi, expecting that she might ask more about them. She just smiled at him in an innocent way that made him smile back.

" Thank you for telling me some of your story. I'm certain there's far more to it. It's good to see that Shepard can find very talented people." said Kasumi. Ben blushed a little in embarrassment at the praise. He had never thought himself much of a soldier, let alone a talented one. Back home, he was just a greenhorn learning the ropes.

" I wouldn't say I'm talented. I just do what I was trained to. Even then, I have my faults. Mostly what's gotten me to this point is luck and sheer willpower." Ben was never one to gloat or have an ego. He was very shy when it came to those things, always had been. He was proud, certainly, but he was always worried he would fail. He just tried his best and this new place had given him a new drive. It let him know there was more to life than his own home. Kasumi just smiled and placed her arms down, crossed on the table.

" You happen to be a very talented soldier. From what I've seen of the battle feed and what I've heard you can really pack a punch. If you don't mind me asking, where were you trained?" She leaned forward and rested her head upon her hand. Ben thought about it, should he really tell them? It couldn't hurt to, she was just curious.

" Hey, I wouldn't mind hearing a story or two about this. Mind if I join?" A voice asked. Ben looked up and saw that it was Zaeed. With him was the man in the armory, Jacob Taylor. They both had trays of food and seemed to be interested in what he was talking about.

" Sure, if you want to hear it. It's not very interesting though, maybe I could tell you some history and some recent battles?" Ben had never found that his training had been memorable besides the tattoos and the yelling from his drill instructors. Maybe they would appreciate some history and some of his recent experience.

" Whatever you want man, I just want to know how you became a giant. From what I've seen, your medical scans said you were human. Two meters tall? Not normal." Said Jacob. He was eating his bacon and eggs slowly.

" Well, I was trained in Jacinto like most of the other gears. The COG trains us to the best of their ability, strength training, running, combat simulations and such. Training usually lasts a year in most cases. I got rushed out though due to a lack of available troops." Ben leaned up, straightening his back. " We get trained at the academy and we work in squads. They teach you everything you need to know."

" Wait, you're called gears and your government is called the COG?" Asked Jack, she was walking in the room from the elevator. " What's with the machine obsession?" Everyone else nodded in agreement. Jack leaned against the wall behind Kasumi, looking at Ben. " Well Iron Giant? Whats the deal?"

Ben sighed, he hated explaining this. He had talked to a few stranded about it that didn't have any schooling about what the COG was. He prepared to explain, cracking his neck and getting into lecture mode.

" The COG, Coalition of Ordered Governments, is a government that has been in place for over a century, almost two. It was founded on the principles of Order, Diligence, Purity, Labor, Honor, Loyalty, Faith, and Humility. You do your part and they COG moves forward." He shifted a little in order to get a better position.

" For over a century the COG has stood, through the Pendulum wars and even now. We've been at war for almost A century, the enemy has just changed. My family has always been in the military. To be a gear is to be a Carmine in my family. You serve, not necessarily because we are patriots, but because we love to fight and protect our family. We also love explosions." This caused a chuckle to escape from Zaeed.

" I've only been in the field for a few months. It's be rough, not to mention I got thrown into this by some crazy experiment..." He then started to look off, the bacon still on the plate in front of him begging to be eaten...mmm...bacon


End file.
